eng Science and Education Publishing Journal of Materials Physics and Chemistry 2333-4444 2026-10-26 14 2 44 50 10.12691/jmpc-14-2-3 JMPC20261423 article KOUADIO Lucas Moses moseskouadio41@gmail.com 1 KOUASSI Kouassi ¨¦ric 2 SAKO Ibrahima 3 SEI Joseph 3 Laboratoire de Thermodynamique et Physico-Chimie du Milieu, Universit¨¦ Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, C?te d¡¯Ivoire Laboratoire de Constitution et de R¨¦action de la Mati¨¨re (LCRM), UFR SSMT, Universit¨¦ F¨¦lix Houphou?t-Boigny, 22 BP 582 Abidjan, C?te d¡¯Ivoire Unit¨¦ de formation et de recherche en sciences biologiques, D¨¦partement de math¨¦matiques, physique et chimie, Universit¨¦ Peleforo GON COULIBALY, B.P. 1328 Korhogo, C?te d'Ivoire Water contamination by trace metals (TM), particularly lead (Pb²?), poses a major threat to human health and the environment. In Côte d¡¯Ivoire, the growth of industrial and mining activities is exacerbating this pollution, creating a need for effective and accessible solutions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of raw bivalve shell powders (COQ) and iron-modified bivalve shell powders (COQ-Fe) for the removal of lead from aqueous solution. The lead in solution was analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The optimal conditions identified were: 1.5 g of powder per 100 mL, pH 5, and a contact time of 60 minutes. Under these conditions, COQ achieved 98.84% removal, and COQ-Fe achieved over 99% removal. Kinetic analysis showed a fit to the pseudo-second-order model, while the modified Langmuir model confirmed an ion exchange mechanism between Pb²? and Ca²?. These results highlight the potential of bivalve shells as a local, sustainable, and low-cost solution for the remediation of water contaminated with heavy metals. https://pubs.sciepub.com/jmpc/14/2/3/jmpc-14-2-3.pdf shell powder lead decontamination ion exchange